COVID-19 Early Alert System: Safer at School Early Alert System

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

In accordance with the County of San Diego’s regional COVID-19 response efforts, the County contracted with UCSD to implement, evaluate, and scale a multipronged early alert system called Safer at School Early Alert System (SASEAS). • Wastewater and surface early alert systems have been preliminarily shown to serve as an important tool for early detection of COVID-19 outbreaks, with wastewater having demonstrated COVID-19 detection signal up to a week before traditional individual-level symptom monitoring or diagnostic testing measures. • Wastewater and surface early alert systems could ensure that community and school-based outbreaks are caught early to limit their spread, minimizing lost student and teacher school days and preventing whole school closures. • Additionally, from an equity perspective, SASEAS could prevent the closing of schools and child care settings, which could impact social and educational disparities for families.